I would like to ask you two questions :

1. Iwould like to ask you two questions: Voices from South Africa 6 Educators 2 Student teachers 7 Head teachers Linda Clarke, School of Education, University of Ulster lm.clarke@ulster.ac.uk

2. Three insights History Matters – legacy of apartheid left SA with a grossly uneven playing field and continues to affect possibilities for play on that field. This has both positive and negative impacts.: Positive: Nelson Mandela and other influential South Africans were willing to put past evils behind them as they shaped the constitution Negative: Racism and racial tension, massive financial inequity and antagonism still permeate SA society. Resources matter:At present, 3.6 million children do not have a chair to sit on, and 4.2 million do not have proper surfaces to write on. Aug 14th 2005: R12-billion rescue plan for schools Implementation Matters: SA indisputably has a number of well designed policies on the books now, but what has been lacking in many cases has been the capacity to implement these programmes in an efficient, non-corrupt, and effective manner.

3. History Matters Advantages: optimism and a chance to change, to start from scratch with new and visionary policies (all) Ithink at the moment that one of our strengths is that we are living in an environment that is changing so completely that education is able to change…. the opportunity to improve in a systemic way rather than piecemeal ways that often happen in other countries.I think that one of the problems that has happened in America and the UK is the environment that is static, that the education system is static. Disadvantages: Racism? (2Ed 2ST) I think the real challenge is to try and bridge the gap without diluting the standards and the good work that has been done in certain areas. I’m not just talking about the good work that has been done in the schools like this. I am talking about the good work that has been done in rural areas but it is just not enough and I don’t know if it’s ever going to be enough….

4. Resources matter Advantages: Educator : remarkably well resourced Teacher: better resources for training Disadvantages: (All Educators, 2 Head teachers) Poverty….. What we see when we visit rural schools is they lock the library up because they’re precious and so books are seen as something you must look after not as something you must use (ED1)

5. Implementation Matters Advantages: getting there IQMS – Integrated Quality Management System (2HT) South African Council of Educators(1Ed) Outcomes Based Education (2STs) Some systems and some ideas work beautifully on paper but fail when you actually put them into practice, and some of the time frames are not very realistic. (HT 1) We look really good on paper….(Ed3) We are not training teachers for ourselves, we are training them for a very rich country who should be training their own teachers (Ed3) Disadvantages: All interviewees!: Managerial systems and leaders Pace of change to too ambitious, too experimental Teacher training – trained teachers going aboard Neglect of adult education Private schools widen gap HIV/Aids